Franklin Templeton has closed its buyout of 250 Digital, the CoinFund spinout, and is launching a dedicated crypto division called Franklin Crypto. This marks a move by one of the world’s largest asset managers to deepen its digital asset strategy by adding crypto-native expertise and active management capabilities. The deal brings over the 250 Digital team, led by Christopher Perkins and Seth Ginns, with Perkins heading the new unit and Ginns serving as chief investment officer alongside Tony Pecore from Franklin Templeton’s digital assets arm.
This is more than a basic rebrand or a tactical hire. By acquiring a specialist shop, Franklin Templeton is adding a ready-made active digital asset investing team instead of building that capability entirely in-house. Franklin Crypto will focus on active strategies for institutional clients, complementing Franklin Templeton’s existing footprint in tokenized money market products and digital asset funds. The company says the new division combines crypto-native portfolio management with Franklin Templeton’s global distribution and institutional client network. As of December 31, 2025, Franklin Templeton Digital Assets managed about $1.8 billion globally. The key angle now is that a major asset manager is using acquisition, rather than internal buildout, to expand its institutional crypto platform.